Empire Announces Newly Formed Sports Division

Empire Film Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:EFGU) (www.empirefilmgroup.com), has announced the formation of its new wholly owned subsidiary Empire Sports Group, Inc. The subsidiary has been set up to develop, acquire, produce, market and distribute sports related entertainment properties in film, television and in various multimedia and digital environments.

"Over the past year we have developed and negotiated the acquisition of several sports projects and it is in Empire's best interest to form a new division that will be dedicated to developing, producing and marketing these projects," said Dean Bornstein, C.E.O. of Empire Film Group. "A search is currently underway to bring in a senior executive to run this division who will have an extensive background in sports marketing, sponsorship, brand management and promotions. Empire has several projects in development, including "The Will to Win," "The Final Game," "Gotch" and "The Coach's Journey," which are sports themed properties and will benefit from cross promotion, product placement and marketing that Empire Sports Group will provide," he continued.

In addition, the company is currently in negotiations with several well recognized sports brands for joint venture opportunities that the company is currently developing. The company expects to announce several of these joint ventures by the end of the first quarter.

Empire Film Group, Inc. is a fully-integrated film and television production and distribution company, with distribution capabilities to reach theatrical, video, television, video-on-demand and international markets through its wholly owned subsidiary Producers Releasing Organization.

2012 London Olympic Games: The Glimmer of Hope For UK Jobs

The 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games is three years away and yet projects are ahead of schedule.

Lord Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee told BBC News that they have met all 10 milestones the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) had set for this stage of the preparations.

"We are a little bit further ahead of bang on target. Not only is this project on track but it will actually deliver some extraordinary prizes," Coe added.

Recently Lord Coe wrote about these developments in The Telegraph. "When I delivered our bid to the International Olympic Committee in Singapore four years ago, a central part of our commitment was to seize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of regenerating neglected east London, and to provide jobs, opportunities and hope for generations to come. And we're doing that," he wrote.

UK jobs in the capital are benefiting from the developments and will continue to do so according to him.

"Our delivery partner, the Olympic Delivery Authority, has sought work worth more than £3.5 billion from 935 companies, while we expect 75,000 business opportunities to have become available by 2012," he added. Although the recession could be seen as the worst time ever for any country to host an expensive event like the Olympic Games, there are many who believe that it could be the solution to surviving it.

BBC News reports on a statement made by IOC president Jacques Rogge who justified his confidence in the country to host the event during such a turbulent point in time.

"The Games have survived difficult times before. They have survived and thrived because of what they mean to people all over the world," he said. "The Games remind us that the transient difficulties of life can be overcome through hard work and determination."

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson recently wrote in the London Evening Standard that the Games create a sense of hope and euphoria. "We are going to put on the greatest show on earth, and to use the investment to transform parts of London that have been neglected for decades. I am determined to use these Olympics to help generate jobs, and to improve the whole city," he wrote.

Current Olympic jobs and future opportunities for employment leading up to the event often mistakenly fall only under the construction label, seeing as this is the most obvious.

However, construction jobs aren't the only jobs that will stem from the Games.

London Evening Standard reports that the budget hotels group, Travelodge has invested £84m on six different properties in London as well as creating 200 new jobs in catering and hospitality.

"We have long stated our aim of being the lead brand in London by the time of the Games. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the tourism industry and we intend to take it with both hands," Grant Hearn, Travelodge's chief executive told the publication.

Catering and Hospitality could see more opportunities opening up as companies enlarge before 2012.

Like Sarah (24) a waitress from Devon who has recently relocated to London to try for a better job.

"Luckily I wasn't looking for too long. I am now employed at a company that expanded with a new restaurant in East London in order to benefit most from the Games," she said.

Although the Olympics is still far away, Sarah thinks she wouldn't have found a job easily or even at all, if it wasn't for the prospect of the Games.

The capital is buzzing with excitement as restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions improve and gear-up to accommodate all the tourists that will be flooding the city.

Government officials and organizers of the event daily express their excitement towards the current developments as well as the future of the UK.

But what do you think?

Peter (44) a restaurant manager in Kent thinks that London and London only will reap the profits from the event.

"I think the majority of the tourists will eat and stay in East London or as close to it as possible," he said.

Karen (29) from Manchester is still optimistic about what the Olympics can do for the city she lives in.

"The Olympics will be good for the economy but I hope smaller businesses will benefit as much as large companies and that other cities in the UK such as Manchester will also enjoy regeneration as a result of the Games," she said.

"So far though preparation for the Olympics has not done much in my opinion to help the thousands of people who lost their jobs as a result of the recession," Karen added.

Gary (28) from Reading is irritated by all the sceptical comments people have been making.

"I think it will give the economy an enormous boost. Yes, money is being spent but the UK is the first country to host a go-green Olympics making it something different and interesting," he said.

According to a Redhill and Reigate Life article, the ODA estimates that 75,000 contracts worth around £6bn will be won nationally leading up to the Games as well as during, and that the South East for example will benefit economically with £1bn.

Surrey County Council has pledged to assist businesses with as much help as possible to make sure that the county's businesses claim their share.

"Now is the time to give our businesses the help and advice they need to clinch work on offer in the run-up to, and during, the Olympics," Denise Saliagopoulos, county council cabinet member told the publication.

"Surrey is well placed to benefit from the Olympic effect because the county is between two major airports and has key road and rail links into London, and we intend to ensure businesses in the county get the maximum benefit," she added.

Let's fast forward our thoughts to the year 2013...

The Olympic Games are done, tourists have come and gone and let's say the ODA was right and the UK economy has done as well as they anticipated. Now what? Surely the new stadiums that were built won't be barred up to only use the next time London is honoured by hosting the Olympic Games again?

"After the Games, that momentum will carry forward as we will have addressed key issues such as the lack of swimming and cycling facilities in the capital and will have left legacy and infrastructure for future generations to enjoy," Lord Coe wrote in his article in The Telegraph. According to the UK Press Association the Olympic Park could now host events like Twenty20 cricket, London Fashion Week and farmers' markets. Everyone has an opinion about the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympic Games, some bad, some indifferent and some great.

However, the fact remains that if the UK didn't have this event to create extra jobs and added business, there would have been thousands more left jobless, and millions left with not even a glimmer of hope for things to get better.

Chantel is a regular contributor of career advice and jobs news for leading UK Job Board http://www.careersandjobsuk.com Link text

There is nothing in the world of sports quite like a good football game. In most other countries of the globe, soccer is by far more popular. But this is probably only because they don't have their kids play football. It's a truly American phenomenon, and there are a lot of reasons why.

You really can't play football unless you're really big. Getting a lot of really big guys in a society means the society as a whole has to eat a lot of food. As a matter of fact, if you go back just 20 years in the NFL, football players, although still quite a bit bigger than almost everyone else, were much smaller than they are now. The typical professional offensive lineman is 6 foot 5 inches and around 325 pounds. That's not just big, that is freaking huge. And in order to get enough guys that big who can also move, you've got to have a lot of big guys running around in their teens all over the country.

That's why you're probably never going to see very many football games in the Middle East, for example. You might be able to get a few fellows out of Germany or France, but even those societies just don't grow them as big as they do in Texas to say the least. But even a rabbit food munching state like Oregon turns out some really big fellows. With such a big pool of large men to draw from, football is more suited to them than a sport like swimming.

Apart from raw size, football also requires a rather large investment in equipment and other infrastructure before it can even be practiced properly. You can't run around on a dirt lot and get very good at it. And besides the equipment, you also can't get to an elite level of play without practicing with dozens of other players. There are very few football drills you can do by yourself, so a group of even 10 friends who love the sport are going to be hard pressed to really do much more than mimic an actual game.

But perhaps the biggest difference in football from other sports is the vast rule set that goes along with it. It's a whole lot more than men the size of bulls running into each other at top speed. Every single play requires a coordination of elements generally reserved for machines. It is 22 men being in very precise positions and then running to several other positions as fast as they can.

If you don't particularly like watching sports, it's probably likely that if you were stuck having to watch just one sport for the day you could live with a football game. Especially if it was the Super Bowl - everybody loves the commercials.

Bruce Wagner is a life-long sports enthusiast. When not watching football from the safety of his couch, he enjoys collecting Ansel Adams prints, golfing, and gardening.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers release underachieving receiver Dexter Jackson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released underachieving wide receiver Dexter Jackson on Monday.

Jackson was a second-round draft pick out of Appalachian State in 2008. He appeared in the first seven games of last season, primarily as a kick returner.

The 23-year-old returned 20 punts and 14 kickoffs with limited success before losing the kick return job to undrafted free agent Clifton Smith. Smith went on become a Pro Bowl selection, while Jackson did not get into a game again.

Jackson didn't have any receptions as a rookie and has been slowed this preseason by an ankle injury.

Sox reject Wagner's conditions

If Jonathan Papelbon still has any concerns about Billy Wagner replacing someone in the Red Sox' bullpen, they may prove moot, since it's looking increasingly unlikely that the 38-year-old lefthander will be coming to Boston.

According to a report by FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox chances of acquiring Wagner, whom they claimed on waivers from the Mets on Friday, are in "serious jeopardy" after the club rejected Wagner's two conditions for waiving his no-trade clause.

Bean Stringfellow, Wagner's agent, told Rosenthal that Wagner wants assurance that the Red Sox will not pick up his $8 million club option for next season. According to the report, Wagner also requested that the Red Sox not offer salary arbitration, thus making him a more appealing option as free agent since the team signing him would not be required to forfeit draft picks.

Wagner is currently projected to be a Type A free agent, meaning that any team that signed him would have to sacrifice two high draft picks as compensation.

Wagner, who received positive reviews after returning to the Mets on Thursday following an 11-month rehabilitation after Tommy John surgery, has 385 saves in his 15-year career. According to the report, he prefers to remain a closer, which is improbable in Boston given that Papelbon is entrenched in the role.

Rosenthal also speculates on the thought-process of the Red Sox and Mets at the moment:

The Sox still might find Wagner appealing as a six-week rental even if they promised not to pick up his option or offer him arbitration. But their loss of 2010 control in accepting such conditions would diminish their willingness to part with a better prospect.

The Mets could save the nearly $3.5 million remaining on Wagner's contract simply by allowing him to leave for the Red Sox. But if no deal is reached, they might prefer to pull him back from waivers, retaining the possibility of offering him arbitration and injecting two high picks into their depleted farm system.

UVA Cavaliers prepare to put 2008 behind them

The Virginia Cavaliers are a team in flux as they head into the 2009 football season.

University of Virginia is picked in the in the pre-season ACC polls to finish fifth in Coastal Division standings.

A bunch of unknowns could be the reason why. Head Coach Al Groh, in the off-season, got rid of his son Mike, as Offensive Coordinator. Groh brought in the new spread offense along with Greg Brandon.

Who lines up behind center to start the season against William & Mary is an open question as well. Vic Hall has been moved from cornerback to quarterback, and Jameel Sewell is back on the squad after a year away due to academics.

The combination of all these entities will try and put the 5-7 season they had in 2008 behind them and get back to winning ways in Charlottesville.